I'm pleased to be able to report that MagicalTux has just added the ability to redeem Bitcoin private keys on MtGox.

Simply go to the "Add Funds" screen. There is a new choice: "Redeem Private Key". There are sub-choices for full length private keys versus the ones used on Casascius coins.

When you enter a code, it is treated as a new deposit to your account (including you must wait for six confirmations).

MagicalTux says that when you redeem a code, MtGox keeps the private key and will auto-sweep any future funds sent to that key into your MtGox account.

I did a quick test, tearing open one of my coins. For the time being, the only immediate response is "Sending code...", the balance of the coin is not shown on the screen, possibly until the six confirmations are received. However I could see that the coin balance got swept by checking the unconfirmed transactions list at bitcoincharts.

Round of applause for MagicalTux for these and the other newly released features on MtGox.

Companies claiming they got hacked and lost your coins sounds like fraud so perfect it could be called fashionable. I never believe them. If I ever experience the misfortune of a real intrusion, I declare I have been honest about the way I have managed the keys in Casascius Coins. I maintain no ability to recover or reproduce the keys, not even under limitless duress or total intrusion. Remember that trusting strangers with your coins without any recourse is, as a matter of principle, not a best practice. Don't keep coins online. Use paper wallets instead.

So am I right in thinking this allows using bitaddress.org to print a paper wallet.

Then do some transactions receiving BTC and then easily dump the balance into MtGox?

All without the vulnerability of wallet.dat being hacked or needing to use a client or download the block chain? This seems like a nice way for lightweight Bitcoin users to get going quickly.

YES. In my ideal vision of Bitcoin, the average unbanked (and computer illiterate) Joe should be able to use bitcoins without needing to run software or download a block chain. Joe should be able to think of paper wallets much the same as gift cards.

Companies claiming they got hacked and lost your coins sounds like fraud so perfect it could be called fashionable. I never believe them. If I ever experience the misfortune of a real intrusion, I declare I have been honest about the way I have managed the keys in Casascius Coins. I maintain no ability to recover or reproduce the keys, not even under limitless duress or total intrusion. Remember that trusting strangers with your coins without any recourse is, as a matter of principle, not a best practice. Don't keep coins online. Use paper wallets instead.

How much do you charge for a "circulated physical bitcoin"? I mean a complete used coin, that was loaded, tamper-evident seal torn off, bitcoin then spent. Something of numismatic quality "very fine grade circulated", I guess the seal will be evidently damaged, but still recognizable and 100% readable, maybe glued back to a piece of transparent plastic?

I use StrongCoin.com because all private key math is done on my computer in Javascript and not on the server. The server only keeps encrypted versions of the private keys so the server (and server owner) does not have access to the Bitcoins.

Our family was terrorized by Homeland Security. Read all about it here: http://www.jmwagner.com/ and http://www.burtw.com/ Any donations to help us recover from the $300,000 in legal fees and forced donations to the Federal Asset Forfeiture slush fund are greatly appreciated!

Hopefully the sweepprivkey proposal will become more of a reality than a proposal, and then every website that accepts Bitcoins can be easily made to also accept Bitcoin deposits directly.

Companies claiming they got hacked and lost your coins sounds like fraud so perfect it could be called fashionable. I never believe them. If I ever experience the misfortune of a real intrusion, I declare I have been honest about the way I have managed the keys in Casascius Coins. I maintain no ability to recover or reproduce the keys, not even under limitless duress or total intrusion. Remember that trusting strangers with your coins without any recourse is, as a matter of principle, not a best practice. Don't keep coins online. Use paper wallets instead.

This has me a little confused. I originally generated the keypair using bitaddress.org. It provided me with both a Bitcoin address and a private key. Mt Gox doesn't have the public key from this keypair, so they cannot generate a corresponding address. The address they gave me is not the correct one for the original keypair, of course. What does this new address do, specifically? Why do I need another address if I still have the original? Does Mt Gox now own my private key, and should I no longer use the associated address? The balance from the imported key still hasn't shown up in my account.

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." --Gandhi

Does it support sending back out via that private key? That would be awesome.

You wouldn't want this. It has non-ideal security implications. If you want to stay safe, don't re-use private keys once you've typed them into a website. Use a new one.

Companies claiming they got hacked and lost your coins sounds like fraud so perfect it could be called fashionable. I never believe them. If I ever experience the misfortune of a real intrusion, I declare I have been honest about the way I have managed the keys in Casascius Coins. I maintain no ability to recover or reproduce the keys, not even under limitless duress or total intrusion. Remember that trusting strangers with your coins without any recourse is, as a matter of principle, not a best practice. Don't keep coins online. Use paper wallets instead.

Of course it supports it all you have to do is tell Mt Gox to send Bitcoins to the corresponding public key, however since you have imported the private key into your Mt Gox account the coins would just be sent from your Mt Gox account back into your Mt Gox account, unless I am missing something in your question.

Our family was terrorized by Homeland Security. Read all about it here: http://www.jmwagner.com/ and http://www.burtw.com/ Any donations to help us recover from the $300,000 in legal fees and forced donations to the Federal Asset Forfeiture slush fund are greatly appreciated!